Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to the art of turbomachines and, more particularly, to a heat recovery system for a turbomachine.
In gas and steam turbine combined systems there exists a thermodynamic requirement to reject a large amount of low grade heat. For example, in a typical gas and steam turbine combined cycle power plant having a three pressure reheat recovery steam generator (HRSG), about 33% of heat is rejected at a steam condenser of the power plant. This rejected heat represents an overall efficiency loss for the power plant.
There currently exist power plants that utilize heat rejected directly from the steam turbine to power a refrigeration system. The refrigeration system is utilized to cool inlet air for a compressor, or as a cooling source for associated structures and enclosures in the power plant. The needed steam is taken directly from the steam turbine and passed through a vapor absorption refrigeration system. Siphoning steam in this manner lowers the overall efficiency of the steam turbine.